1. Field
The following description relates generally to transparent and conductive films.
2. Description of the Related Art
Transparent conductive thin films have been widely used for devices such as Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs), Organic Light Emitting Device (OLED) Displays, solar photovoltaics, touch screens, or electrochromic oxide-based films such as smart windows. Among these applications, indium tin oxide (ITO) has been used broadly to form the transparent conductive thin film due to its high electrical conductivity and high optical transparency. However, ITO requires high temperature for processing, and the ITO thin film is brittle and prone to cracking on flexible substrates. In addition, in order to lower the sheet resistance, the thickness of the ITO film has to be increased, which in turn leads to reduced light transmission and increased cost.
Transparent and conductive thin films formed from metal nanowires are among the most promising candidates as alternatives to ITO thin films. However, metal nanowires have good conductivity along the length of the nanowires, but have high contact resistance at the junctions where two or more nanowires cross one another.